The Economic Impact Of The Civil Rights Movement

The activism and legislation that came out of the civil rights movement marked a watershed moment in American history. Before 1964, racism was not only pervasive, but legal. Segregation was rampant and discriminatory labor practices were common. While the civil rights movement did not solve all of these problems, it was immeasurably important in beginning to level the playing field for African Americans and other people of color. The effects of the civil rights movement still play an important role in the United States, even 50 years later.

One of the clearest effects to measure is the economic impact of the civil rights movement. After the Civil Rights Act was passed, the South Carolina textile industry saw a steady increase in

African American

Not only was the black community affected, but the "civil-rights movement opened the South to inflows of capital, creativity and new enterprises from around the world" (Wright). This overall benefit was felt in other industries, as well. Therefore, it's clear that African Americans — and

Southerners in general — were positively impacted by the civil rights movement.

Another measurable impact of the civil rights movement is the effect on education. Though "the effort to desegregate schools in the U.S. and grant equality to African-Americans is far from over" (Dell), significant gains have been made. African Americans are 60 percent more likely to graduate from high school than they were in the mid-1960s, according to a poll done by the Pew

Research Center in 2013 ("King's Dream" 1). Unfortunately, in terms of higher education, the civil rights movement seems to have had little impact. In the United States, the black student population pursuing higher degrees such as a master's or a doctorate is only 8.5 percent (Dell).

Luckily, educational trends are fairly easily measured, which means that this data can be used to implement positive changes for African

Though only 57 percent of Americans think race relations are generally good, people are more optimistic about their own communities — both whites and blacks: "Seventy-nine percent of Americans say race relations in their own communities are generally good" (Dutton et al.). So, people believe race relations are better when they personally can see what's happening and how people are being treated, which means we're moving in the right direction — at least locally. Because people can't see what's happening in the rest of the country, they're more likely to be skeptical that things are positive everywhere else.

Overall, although there have been many positive gains, there is still work to be done.

Incarceration rates for African Americans have increased significantly in the past 50 years

("King's Dream" 4). The United States Census indicates that in 2002, "the poverty rate for whites was 7.8% whereas for African Americans it reached 24.1%" (Dell). Thus, the civil rights movement and the Civil Rights Act were steps in the right direction — the positive effects are clear. But as you can see in the chart from the Pew Research Center, the majority of Americans believe we need at least some work to ensure "liberty and justice for